Cape captures first district softball title

April 18, 2014

There is a first time for everything and the Cape Coral High softball team got theirs on Good Friday in Naples.

The Seahawks handed Lely a 5-3 defeat in the District 5A-12 championship game by overcoming a 2-0 first-inning deficit. The district softball championship is the first in the program's history.

"Everybody contributed," said Seahawks first-year coach Joelle Frantz. "We played great defense, so there are no real numbers there."

Allison Slaughter scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the fourth inning. She also scored an insurance run in the sixth. Friday's game was originally scheduled for Thursday, but afternoon rain delayed it until Friday.

The Seahawks tied the game 3-3 for the first time in the third inning after Danielle Smith, Kerry McLaughlin and Cheyenne Krolczyk came through with RBI doubles. That set the stage for Slaughter's runs that followed and provided the winning margin.

Makenzie Buss (15-5) earned the win on the mound and connected for three of the Seahawks' eight base hits, including a double and an RBI.

The district title earns the Seahawks (16-8) home field advantage for a regional quarterfinal matchup next Thursday against an opponent yet to be determined.

Luke Spangler's two-out line drive single to center field in the fourth inning drove in Robert Becker from third base for the Seahawks' run. McClanahan (7-0), who issued one walk and struck out two, left the game in the hands of Spangler for the seventh inning save. Spangler struck out two of three batters faced.

The top-seeded Seahawks (19-4) await an opponent in the District 5A-12 Tournament semifinal round at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Cape. They play the winner between Lely and Golden Gate that will be played Monday at Lely.